


Reasons He Deserved To Die

by Marmeladeskies



Series: All For The Game Prompt Fills From My Tumblr [22]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Drinking, Mentions of Rape, Post-Canon, friendship?, mentions of Riko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 12:56:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18235202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marmeladeskies/pseuds/Marmeladeskies
Summary: There is another silence, until Neil says, “…we should make a list.”





	Reasons He Deserved To Die

It’s been a year, and they are drawn together like some kind of gravity is working its power on them. Some sick force, pulling them together by their bad memories, their trauma, their common denominator.

Riko Moriyama.

He’s been under the earth for a whole year now, dead and probably rotting away in his grave. They have to remember it from time to time, that he’s gone.

Kevin, when his hand hurts when the weather changes, or when he looks at Wymack showing him thumbs up after a particularly good game and he feels like he’s dreaming.

Jean, when he traces the lines on his body, so many scars, all of them inflicted by Riko. The scars in his soul aren’t traceable, but he knows they’re there, too, when Jeremy hugs him and Jean tenses up for just a second before relaxing and remembering he is allowed to hug back, he is allowed to bury his nose in Jeremy’s hair and enjoy this for himself.

Neil has to remember it when he looks at Andrew sometimes, and when he looks in the mirror and sees the marred skin of his cheek where the “4″ had been.

It’s Renee who asks Jean to spend the weekend with them. Jean reluctantly agrees. Jeremy doesn’t try to talk him out of it at all, even though Jean had half expected him. Jean and Kevin haven’t talked since the day Jean left to join the Trojans.

-

He’s nervous when he arrives at the airport. But Renee is there with her colorful hair and her sweet smile. And it’s alright.

“Kevin.”

“Jean.”

They stand in the doorway awkwardly, facing each other. Kevin still looks the same. But at the same time, he doesn’t. His hair is growing longer. Back at the nest, this haircut would have been unacceptable.

“You… had it covered up.”, Kevin says relucantly, pointing to his own cheek where the queen chess piece covers his number 2. Jean touches his own fingertips to his own tattoo.

“Yeah.”

Kevin avoids his gaze. “…good for you. I-… uh, I heard you’re getting on well with… with the Trojans, and… it’s… is it… are you…?” He looks up, and Jean wants to slap him suddenly.

“No.”, he simply replies, answering Kevin’s unasked question. “…I’m not alright. But I’m better.”

Kevin chews on his bottom lip and nods curtly. “…good.”, he eventually says. “Good.”

-

Jean likes Neil, for some reason. He has more of a spine than Kevin, and he doesn’t ask Jean any nonsensical questions.

Jean isn’t quite sure why Neil is dating Minyard now, but he seems happy with him. Jean sees him smile across the table at Andrew when they’re out for pizza in the evening.

The Foxes seem to have grown closer. Everyone is invited for the dinner, and Jean notices that they seem… friendlier together. Maybe that’s why they’re a better team now. Not maybe, definitely.

Jean texts Jeremy under the table. Renee sees and just smiles, patting his thigh.

-

They get drunk. Of course they do.

Kevin is still an alcoholic, Jean knows that much. Some bad habits don’t die. And tonight, on the anniversary of Riko’s death, Jean, too, needs a drink. Or several.

They end up on the court. Jean doesn’t really remember how. The ceiling spins above him as he stretches out on the polished wooden floor. He distantly remembers Minyard driving them here. But now they’re alone, Neil, Kevin and him. Why? Whose idea was that…? Jean can’t remember.

“He’s… he’s fucking dead…”, Kevin eventually says into the big silence of the court.

“He deserved it.”, Neil adds, and there is no regret in his voice. He spits the words out with the honesty Jean admires about him.

A strangled noise escapes Kevin. “Don’t…don’t say that.”

Neil, who has been lying on his back as well, sits up and points at Kevin. “He fucking did deserve it. He broke your hand. He cut me up into pieces. He treated Jean like a dog.”

Jean doesn’t flinch. But something in his chest stirs. “…he was a bad person.” The words come out lazily and slowly.

Neil grunts in agreement.

They fall silent again.

After several minutes, right when Jean’s eyes threaten to fall close, Kevin speaks again. His voice is quiet, timid, almost. “…do you remember when he broke my nose?”, he asks, and it’s clear that it’s directed at Jean.

Jean does remember. It was one of the rare occasions Riko had actually taken out his rage on Kevin instead of Jean.

“…he slammed the butt of his racket into your face.”, Jean drawls with a low sigh. “…later that night, he let Jake fuck me.” Jean has never talked about that with Kevin. He is sure Kevin knew though, back then.

There is another silence, until Neil says, “…we should make a list.”

“What list?” Jean slowly rolls to his side. His stomach grumbles unhappily, filled with liquor.

“Reasons why Riko deserved to die- stop choking, Kevin.”

Kevin is coughing now, red in the face, pressing a hand to his sternum. When he speaks, his voice is an octave higher than usual. “Reasons…?” He is clearly scandalized. Old habits die hard.

“Yes, let’s.”, Jean agrees after a moment. “Reason one, he fucked up Kevin Day.”

Kevin glares at Jean. Jean doesn’t know how Kevin isn’t going cross eyed. He has half a bottle of vodka in his system, after all.

“Reason two, the stupid fucking tattoos.”, Neil adds, and to his own surprise, Jean laughs.

“Fuck yeah.”

“Reason three.” Jean and Neil go quiet when Kevin speaks. “…he… he told me I was nothing without him, and he broke my hand.”

“Reason four.”, Neil adds, “…he was an egocentric, manic and manipulative asshole.”

Jean nodds strongly. “…yes.”

Another silence settls over them.

“…he forbade me to speak french. …that’s reason five.”, Jean adds after a moment.

“You did, anyway.” Kevin is smiling down at his own hands when Jean looks over to him.

“Yes.”

“Reason six: he was bad with knives.” Neil runs a thumb over a scar right above his elbow.

As Jean tries to think of another reason, something ridiculous comes to his mind, and he has to laugh again. It feels weird to laugh, especially about Riko, about this, but laughing makes the tight feeling in his chest losen up.   
“Reason seven should be the way he pronounced ‘court’. It always sounded like… card.” It’s lame, a lame reason, but he’s still laughing, and now, Neil is too.

“It did. Caaaahrt.”

Jean snorts because he is laughing so hard. “Fuck, yes.”

Kevin isn’t laughing, but smiling.

Neil’s and Jean’s laughter dies down after some time, and silence settles over the Foxhole court again.

“…he’s really dead.”, Kevin says into it after several minutes. “He’s dead. Riko is dead.”

Jean thinks Kevin sounds like he’s tasting every syllable of the sentence in his mouth.


End file.
